The silence lingered between us, thick and heavy. I could feel Lucas breathing next to me, each rise and fall of his chest matching my own. My heart was still racing, despite the quiet that had settled over us. His question hung in the air, unanswered. What did he want to tell me? I shifted slightly on the bed, turning my head to look at him. His profile was just visible in the dim light, the soft shadows of the night playing across his face. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I knew they were staring up at the ceiling, just as mine had been moments ago. I didn’t want to break the silence, but I needed to know. “Lucas,” I whispered, my voice barely breaking through the stillness. “What did you want to tell me?” For a moment, I thought he wasn’t going to answer. His chest rose and fell in a slow, measured rhythm as if he were carefully weighing his words before speaking. He wanted them to mean something more. He wanted me to understand them. So, when he finally did, his voice was low,
The room felt impossibly quiet after I’d said those words. My heart pounded as if it might break free from my chest. The air between Lucas and me was thick with anticipation, with all the things we hadn’t said and the things we didn’t need to say. My skin tingled, every inch of me acutely aware of him, of the closeness of our bodies, the gravity pulling us together. Lucas blinked, his eyes wide for a second, as though he was processing my request. But then a slow smile crept across his lips, mischievous and full of heat, the Lucas I had come to know so well. He shifted, pulling away just slightly to give me space as his hands moved down to the hem of his shirt. “Anything for you, little wolf,” he murmured, his voice low and rough around the edges. “But make demands from me, don't request. I am a slave of your love, do what you want with me.” “T-take off your shirt and show me your body.” I ordered, trying to be more intimidating. “I want to see you without clothes.” He smirked,
The air between us felt electric, crackling with a tension I couldn’t name but didn’t want to stop. My heart raced, not just from the closeness, but from the control I held over him in that moment. Lucas was at my mercy, just the thought of that made me wet. His hands, warm and calloused, traced a path down my sides, each touch sending shivers through me. I could feel the heat of him, the way his body responded to mine, and it made me dizzy. The soft rise and fall of his chest under my fingers felt like an unspoken plea, his submission to me so obvious it filled the room. “Look at me, Lucas,” I commanded softly, my voice steady, even though inside, I was on fire. He lifted his head, eyes dark with desire, and it hit me then—how much power I had over him, how much he wanted me. “I’m yours, Kat,” he whispered, his voice strained, filled with raw needs. His words stoked the fire inside me, a sense of dominance I hadn’t known I possessed. But it wasn’t just the power that made me trem
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the warmth surrounding me. The weight of an arm draped over my waist, the steady rise and fall of a chest against my back. For a moment, I didn’t move, letting the reality of where I was, who I was with, sink in. Lucas. The memory of the night before hit me all at once. The way his hands had touched me, the way his eyes never left mine, full of that burning intensity I could still feel on my skin. I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the sensations that now lingered like ghosts, haunting my every thought, making me smile. I opened my eyes, staring at the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, but I wasn’t ready to face him. I wasn’t ready to confront what had happened between us, or worse—what it meant for our future. And my place in the family. My heart raced with a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. “Uhh... You awake?” I felt him shift behind me, his body moving closer, pulling me into him. “Yeah, I just wok
“We need to talk, sweetheart.” “Talk about what?” I questioned, staring at Caspian to figure out what he told dad. “What were you guys talking about?” “Your dad will tell you that,” Caspian said standing up. “It's important you listen to your dad and try to understand.” “Understand what?” Lucas questioned, a little harsher and a little louder than anyone should speak in a hospital. “Calm down, Lucas.” Caspian walked towards us, and I turned to face dad. He pulled a pillow from the side to put it behind his back. “I need to talk to Kat, alone. So, if you two don't mind.” “Yeah, of course,” Caspian agreed but Lucas didn't. He groaned and added. “No, we can't leave her alone with him.” “Leave,” She said, keeping her eyes fixed on the man on the bed. “He is my dad; I will be fine.” “Come on,” Caspian took the reluctant Lucas out of the room and that made me question what happened before I came to the room. The quiet hum of the hospital room settled around us after
The sting of the slap still tingled on my hand, a pulse of heat that almost matched the rapid beat of my heart. I watched Harry stumble back, his face twisted in shock, and for the first time, I felt an ounce of power over him—a rare satisfaction that made me want to do it all over again. He straightened, his gaze flickering between me and my father, and I knew he was scrambling to regain control. His face shifted from shock to anger, a bitter sneer forming on his lips. “You are not going to tell her anything, Robert? You need to control her,” he hissed, his eyes sharp and accusatory as they darted back to my father.Dad looked at him, his expression softening with something I hadn’t seen from him in a long time—a quiet but determined resolve. “Harry, please leave us. I told her.” As those words left his mouth, I could see the change in Harry's expression. “She knows that it was you who made me send those texts.” Harry’s face twisted, and for a moment, I thought he might argue. Bu
The car ride to the mansion was quiet, the three of us sitting with our own thoughts. Simon hummed to himself as he drove. Lucas was scrolling through his phone, but Caspian was the one who caught my attention. He seemed withdrawn, almost like he was lost in thought, and every now and then, I’d catch him glancing my way, his brow furrowed, but he’d quickly look away if our eyes met. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. As we drove through the massive iron gates, to enter the property, Simon gave a quick nod to one of the guards. “The security’s new here,” he informed me, a small smile tugging at his lips. “After Harry had a little fight with one of the guards, he had your dad fire the entire company.” I raised an eyebrow. “Harry fired an entire security team over a fight with one guard?” Simon chuckled, though there was a hint of discomfort in it. “He does things like that often. Had the whole mansion redecorated too, almost everything changed to fit his… vision.” "Almost everyt
Dinner in the mansion was quieter than I’d expected, a steady, almost awkward calm settling over the table. Margaret had prepared a beautiful spread of roasted vegetables, grilled fish, and bowls of mashed potatoes that looked almost too fluffy to be real.The clink of silverware against plates filled the silence, and I focused on slicing into my food to keep from looking too much at anyone else. My mind kept drifting back to my dad, lying alone in a hospital room. Alone, except for Harry.After a while, Margaret’s warm voice broke through the quiet. “Harry mentioned he’d be staying at the hospital tonight,” she said, finishing off a final pour of wine before setting the bottle down. “He asked me to tell you, so that you won't worry about Robert for the night.”I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, my appetite instantly evaporating. “Why does he need to stay the night? It’s not like…” I trailed off, biting my lip to keep from saying too much. I glanced around the table, knowing my re
I didn’t want to talk about the Salvatore family with Cami. It was too depressing to have that conversation with her. I didn't want to talk to her about Alaric, or about my mother, not about Derek lying in the hospital while his sons tried to salvage the mess he unknowingly helped create.For once, I just wanted to talk about myself.And—more specifically—I wanted to talk about Caspian.“So, let me get this straight.” Cami’s voice was clear through the speaker, cutting through the quiet of my dimly lit bedroom. “You like Caspian?”I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and burying my face in my pillow for a second before lifting it again. “God, don’t say it like that. I didn't mean it like that. I meant there are things that have happened, and he has done things that made me feel weird.”“Like what? The true feeling you've been hiding for months?” She let out a breathless laugh. “Kat, this is huge. You’ve been dodging relationships for years, and now you’re telling me you have actual fee
Alaric knew something.That much was clear the moment he stepped into the dining room, his presence wrapped around the air like a noose, slowly tightening around all of us. His sharp, assessing gaze skimmed over the table, taking in our frozen postures and the lingering tension that none of us could shake off.Then, as if he hadn’t just walked into a room full of people on the brink of plotting his downfall, he smiled. A slow, knowing, chilling smile appeared to scare us. “Why does it look like someone just died?” he mused, his voice was light and easy, but there was something underneath it—something taunting, something dangerous.Nobody answered.I could feel the tension radiating from Caspian beside me, the way Lucas’s fingers tightened around his fork, and the barely restrained scoff from Dev.Alaric didn’t seem to mind the silence. He strolled forward with unhurried confidence, like a predator stepping into a den of prey. Pulling out the chair next to Leo, he sat down, completely
Dinner had never been that quiet. Not in the Salvatore house. The long dining table was filled with plates of steaming food—pasta, grilled chicken, and fresh bread—but no one seemed interested in eating. They were thinking about something, and while their hands moved mechanically I knew they wanted to know what was the important thing Caspian wanted to talk about. He told them that he had something important he wanted to share with them after the dinner. And I guess he shouldn't have shared that much information with the others before because the others were still thinking about it, trying to figure out what it might be. Ian already had a small idea, yet he could feel the tension in the room. As a result, he was very uncomfortable. I could see it in his eyes. The room was dimly lit, with the chandelier above us casting soft, golden light over the strained faces. Unlike other days, even Leo didn't fuss about the food or ask for dessert with the meal. And that's when I realise
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dried and felt like sandpaper when I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. I wasn’t sure about my own emotions, about what to feel—relief, panic, guilt? Maybe all of them at once, or maybe none. Mom had looked at me when I was coming downstairs to help Dev with the dinner, her expression was unreadable. Yet, I knew what was going on inside her head. She must have been afraid of what kind of person wouldn't be in this situation. I asked her what happened or if she needed help with something, and she simply said, “I don’t care what happens to me. As long as you’re safe, I'm willing to do anything in the world. You might not trust me right now, but believe me, my words are true. And I'm going to show it tomorrow.” I hadn’t known how to respond when she was being that open with her thoughts. I should have said something, anything, but I didn't. I couldn't find the right words to say, and thinking about it now, I guess it wouldn't have ma
“So, when are we going to tell the other about what is going on in the family?” I asked the two brothers who still looked conflicted. “If mom confesses tomorrow, their life will be in danger too. If Alaric finds out, he will take it out on whoever he finds.” Caspian and Lucas shared a secret look but told us nothing about it. I was sitting at the kitchen island, my fingers were wrapped around the cool ceramic of my untouched water glass. While, my mind was elsewhere—spinning, twisting, trying to make sense of everything we were about to do. But worse were the fears associated with our every move. That was the reason I wasn't speaking much because I was afraid my fears and what-ifs would slip out mistakenly in normal conversations. And I knew it would only damper their mood, so I heard them instead and tried to be positive about our little mission. “She's right. At this point I think we need to tell the others,” Dev said, stirring a simmering pot of pasta sauce. “This morning t
The room was much quieter after my mom had left. It had been more than an hour since she was gone. Yet, the heavy air of her decision lingered in the room that surrounded us, entering my brain through my nostrils. I couldn't stop thinking about it because it felt like an invisible force that had a huge surprise for everyone in the house. I still wasn’t sure if I believed her—if I could afford to believe her. I didn't know where I stood with her; sometimes, I had been acting like the best daughter in the world, while other times I felt as if she was my biggest enemy. I couldn't figure out how to act around her. Even though she had agreed to confess and that was ‘something not to look over’ according to Caspian, I couldn't bring myself to trust her completely. I knew I could have trusted her more when she told Derek the truth, but I couldn't help but think it was one of her other elaborate plans. “A woman can get anything if she wants it enough... anything.” Her words from years
“My brothers are crazy,” Caspian followed after when my eyes found his. “They have done some of the wildest things on the planet, and don't even let me start with Leo. He's the definition of cringe and intrusive thoughts.” “Yeah, that I know,” I agreed with him about Leo, because he had done some of the wildest things. However, after Ian disappeared on his birthday, Leo got a little serious about the things around him. “There's a lot more.” The way he said that made me think about what he meant by it. There was an undertone of some sort that I couldn't place, but it wasn't anything positive. The way he said that, it felt darker and chilling. “Well, I'd love to know more about you brothers than,” I said, hoping he would get the hint and will talk about himself then. ‘What are you trying to do?’ My brain questioned and I stopped myself from continuing, realizing that I was flirting with him. “You got time,” he said taking a seat on my bed and looked at the famed picture of me with
The air outside was cold and comforting, just walking outside through the entrance made me feel much at loose than I had been the whole day. A soft breeze carried the faint scent of the forest that surrounded the Salvatores’ estate, and moisture that brought me relief. The sky was covered with dark clouds and looked like it was going to rain soon. I was almost waiting for the rain, hoping to see the forest come to live. I was walking beside Caspian. I could feel the tension from the meeting still sitting heavily on Caspian's shoulders. Lucas was following closely behind us, his brows were still furrowed in deep thought, while Dev walked a few steps in front of us with Matthew. As we reached the driveway, Matthew paused. His shiny black Mercedes was waiting for him, the driver was inside. Matthew turned to face us, his demeanour was as calm and professional as ever. He had the same aura around him that at the beginning, I saw around Caspian. “I’ll wait for your call,” he said, his
Caspian’s office had turned into the Salvatore family's war room over the past few weeks. It was a room that once felt intimidating—lined with tall bookshelves, mahogany furniture, dark leather chairs, and the history it contained of me and Caspian. Now, it was a place where heavy discussions were taking place, to reach decisions that could alter the family’s fate. I was sitting in the corner of the room, feeling like an intruder in their world of business and law. Yet, as I watched Lucas and Caspian argue over the papers spread across the desk, I realized I wasn’t exactly an outsider anymore. I was part of the mess, whether I liked it or not.Matthew, the Salvatores’ lawyer, sat across from me. He was calm and collected despite the storm brewing in the room, trying to hear both sides. His neatly pressed suit and calm demeanour gave him an air of professionalism that felt out of place amidst the storm of words. Dev was pacing near the window, his hands were shoved deep into his po